Make Me Believe
by MySecretMistake24
Summary: Takes place after the Second Wizarding War. Hogwarts is fixing to reopen, allowing all students to have their chance to graduate. Follow the life of Tessa-Lynn Harrington as she goes through this school year after losing loved ones in the war and the aftermath and falling for Hogwarts resident bad boy, Draco Malfoy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Harrington Manor

Tessa-Lynn Harrington stood in front of her closet, lost in thought. It was a year after the Second Wizarding War and school was resuming for all Hogwart students. She was redoing her sixth year since war prevented school from finishing last year. She was a little nervous going back. A lot of things have changed since Voldemort was defeated. Two of her older brothers were dead. Her father was the new Minister of Magic. Her mother was pregnant. Her best friends Blaise Zabini and Luna Lovegood shocked everybody by announcing that they were together. The Malfoy's shocked everybody when it came to light that they were actual double agents for the Order. Everybody was going to be returning back to school to finish before moving on with their lives so she knew this year was going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.

A knock on her door roused her out of her thoughts as the door opened and her mother poked her head in.

"Tessa, love, are you alright?" Arianna asked, her youngest, walking into the room.

"I'm fine, Mother. Just lost in my thoughts. Is Father ready to leave? He does know that he doesn't have to see me off."

"He knows. But he wants to see you off since he won't be seeing much of you this year. Its amazing that Hogwarts is letting everybody finish their remaining years. Is Blaise and Luna finishing theirs too?"

"Yes. They are finishing their sixth and seventh years. Along with Malfoy and the Golden Trio finishing their seventh year."

"Well, at least you won't be alone. You have Luna and Blaise. And maybe…just maybe, your cousins?" Arianna looked hopeful at her daughter. It was her dream to see her children get along with her side of the family. It would be nice to have the Weasley's over for family dinners or for holidays.

"I don't know, mother. Depends on if Ronald has removed the shoe from his bloody arse. He's such a prick towards me. Always has been. Ginny and the twins I don't have a problem with. It's just him. He doesn't like the fact that one of my best friends is a Slytherin and known for his….ummmm….sexual prowess as Luna put it." Tessa chuckled softly, remembering that conversation fondly.

"Hmm, well, maybe this will be different now that the war is over."

Tessa looked up at her mother, noting the sadness that lingered at the mention of the war. She was still grieving for the deaths of her two eldest sons. They all were. It was hard losing somebody so close to you but to lose two people, it was even harder.

"I hope so too, Mum. But I wouldn't count on it. Some people are simply stuck in their ways. Now, I'm ready if you are." Tessa smiled, grabbing her small bag and following her mother out.

* * *

Platform 9 ¾

"Now, make sure you keep an eye out for your younger brother no matter what house he gets sorted into." Isaac Harrington stated, hugging his little girl. She might be 16 but she would always be his baby girl. Sighing, he released her placing a kiss on the top of her red hair before moving to his youngest son, Josef.

Tessa smiled at her little brother as their father gave him a pep talk. Looking up, she spotted a familiar face heading her way. Breaking away from her family, she nearly tackled the person as she ran to him, laughing as he swung her into his arm.

"Hello, Red. Did you miss me?" Blaise asked with a chuckle as he hugged her.

"Yes, I bloody well have. You and Luna just left me all alone all summer. I can't believe you did that." Tessa stated, placing her hands on her hips and giving him a mock glare before she smiled brightly at him. "I really hope you two had fun. You two deserved it."

"We did. It was nice to spend the summer away from all the drama that is going on around here. I'm hoping this school year will be a normal one. Well as normal as it could be at Wizarding school."

"It should be interesting. Let me go say bye to my parents and then we can head on to the train."

Blaise nodded and followed her over to her parents, greeting them like family.

* * *

After all the goodbyes were said, they took their seats on the Hogwarts Express. Tessa greeted Luna as they settled in and got comfortable in their compartment. She smiled at how cute Blaise and Luna were, snuggled up on the seat across from her. They chatted about their how their summers were, laughing at some of the stories that were told.

A knock at the compartment door had them looking up. Blaise opened the door so the person could enter.

"Mind if I join you? Pansy is back with a vengeance and I can't seem to get away from her." Draco Malfoy stated, looking at his best friend, Blaise.

"Of course. I would've thought she would've been over you after finding out your big family secret."

"Apparently that just makes me more fascinating." Draco drawled, taking a seat next to Tessa-Lynn. He remembered the first time he met the feisty little red head. He was surprised when Blaise had introduced her as his little sister, it was shocking to see Blaise care about another person other than those he considered close to him. Draco was always polite to Tessa for Blaise's sake. He was attracted to her but there was something about her that just kind of warned him off. Whether it was the fact that she is related to the Weasley's or the fact that she was the new Minister of Magic's daughter. Or that fact that she was called the Ravenclaw Princess. He figured this year since the war was over, he was going to try and become friends with the lovely Tessa.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hogwarts

Tessa looked around the Great Hall as she waited for the Sorting Hat to call her brother up to be sorted. She was curious as to what house he was going to be sorted in. He could fit in either Slytherin, like their family before them, or Ravenclaw, like her. Her brothers always thought it was funny that she was sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin like the rest of the Harrington family. But she always said that her Ravenclaw abilities outshined her Slytherin abilities.

The Sorting Hat finally called on her brother to be sorted, so she sat forward in her seat, listening intently.

"Ah, another Harrington. What house shall I place you in?" The Sorting Hat drawled. Tessa held her breath as she waited for the answer. "I could put you in Slytherin like your family before you. Or in Ravenclaw, like your sister. Maybe even Gryffindor. Hmmmm….what house to choose…"

She could see Josef biting down on his lip as he waited. "I place you in…SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table cheered as did Luna and Tessa as Josef made his way to the Slytherin table. The rest of the sorting ceremony went by in a breeze and soon dinner was served as the Great Hall was filled with chatter as students caught up with old friends.

* * *

Luna looked over at her best friend and wondered what was going on through that mind of hers. It was so different being back in school after the war. Seeing friends that survived the war and then seeing the empty seats from those who lost their lives. She knew that this would be a hard time for Tessa. The poor witch lost both of her older brothers, her cousin Fred and nearly lost her own life several times trying to save somebody else. Tessa had a lot of dark secrets and Luna hoped and prayed that her best friend could find somebody this year to confide in and that could save her best friend before she was lost. Looking over at the Slytherin table, her eyes caught on the dark eyed gaze of her boyfriend. He had a slight frown on his face as he moved his gaze over to the red hair Ravenclaw that stood so suddenly that the whole Great Hall quieted as they watched her. Without saying a word, Tessa left the Great Hall.

* * *

Tessa couldn't breathe. She felt like she was suffocating in there. It was like everything just came crashing down on her as she looked around the room, noticing the students that were missing. The teachers that were gone. Running towards the Astronomy tower, she tried to find something else to think about but nothing was working. Entering the tower, she went straight to the window ledge and leaned over, breathing in the fresh air. She blanked her mind as her breathing finally got under control. Since she didn't really want to head back to the Great Hall and face all the questioning looks, she moved so that she was sitting on the ledge with her legs hanging over. After a while of staring out into the darkness of the school grounds, Tessa's thoughts came creeping back in. She was so caught up in her own head that she didn't hear the person that entered the tower behind her.

* * *

Draco watched as Tessa got up suddenly and left the Great Hall. He noticed that she look upset and since neither Luna or Blaise were getting up to check on her, he decided that he would go check on her. Nobody should be alone when they are upset. Getting up, he ignored both Pansy and Millicent as they both called out his name and promptly left the Great Hall to follow Tessa. He had a feeling that he knew where she was going. If he was right, she should be heading up towards the Astronomy tower that was abandoned. It was where he always went when he wanted to be alone. Draco kept his distance so she would freak out if she realized she was being followed. As he followed her, he wondered how she was dealing with everything that's happened since the war was over. He knew that she lost a few friends and two of her brothers. Luna had told him that Tessa hasn't talked to anybody about how she was feeling. Not even her parents and that bothered Draco. He didn't know why it bothered him since he wasn't close to the girl. He watched as she disappeared into the tower and waited a few minutes before he entered silently behind her. He walked up to her, stopping a few feet behind, a frown forming on his face as he heard her sniffling.

"Tessa?" He whispered, not wanting to scare her. She jumped, nearly falling off the ledge is Draco hadn't have reached out and caught her. Her startled blue green eyes met his silver grey ones.

* * *

Tessa tried to calm her heart as it hammered in her chest as she stared up at Draco Malfoy. She was acutely aware of the fact that his hands were on her hips as he held her to him so she wouldn't fall out of the window. Wondering what he was doing here and how he knew where she was, she tried to pull away from him.

"Why are you in here?" She asked softly as she moved off the ledge and moved around the blonde Slytherin.

"I saw you leave the hall. You looked upset. I wanted to make sure you were alright." Draco said, watching her.

"I'm fine. I just needed a moment alone. I'm fine though. You can leave."

He frowned as he stared at her.

"I'm here if you need to talk, Tessa. You shouldn't keep all of that bottled up inside you."

"I just told you I'm fine. What makes you think something is wrong?" Tessa glared at him.

It was quiet for a moment. Neither of them speaking. It was an odd moment for her. Tessa was standing in a room with a known Deatheater, regardless of the fact that he is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he still has the Dark Mark, the Slytherin Prince and Sex God and the resident Hogwarts bad boy. It made her wonder why he was talking to her, a Ravenclaw, when he hasn't really talked to her much in the past few years since Blaise introduced her to him as his sister.

"Look, Malfoy…Draco, I'm fine. Ok? I just got a little overwhelmed in there and needed a moment to myself. I'm fine. Promise." She stated, giving him a small smile.

Draco was quiet. He didn't say a word, just stood there and stared at her, making her wonder what was going through his mind.

Finally, he nodded and walked up to her, startling her as he reached up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Without another word, Draco turned and left the tower, leaving her confused as she tried to figure out what just happened here. Not coming up with anything, Tessa decided to just call it quits for the night and headed towards the Ravenclaw tower to unpack before finally falling asleep, dreaming of a certain blonde hair, silver eyed Slytherin.


End file.
